SING Movie-Inspired Faux Illuminated Card Using Large Letters Framelits

by Joanne James24. February 2017 20:29

Yay it's Friday! Today I'm sharing a card that I made last week following my half-term visit to the movies with the James Juniors - take a look:

 

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Movie Inspiration - We had been to the movies to see the fun computer-animated comedy movie 'Sing' (you can read all about that here if you're interested) and with this week's Paper Players challenge in mind (use a sentiment as the focal point on your card) I decided to create something using the movie title image as my inspiration:

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With a daughter who sings and often participates in public performances and examinations, I knew that this would make a great encouragement card for her - I'm sure you can see the similarities.

Love Those Letters - I know I say it every time I use them, but the Large Letters Framelits are so worth the investment - I love them! Buying them during Sale-A-Bration leaves you only £1 away from two free gifts too, what a great time to invest! Here I layered them, cutting one set in red and then tracing the inner line of the framelit with a pencil and fussy-cutting them by hand in order to leave a thin border visible. I also used my Labeler Alphabet for the 'loud' part of my sentiment - a great 'mix and match'. 

Fake Illumination - I used a liberal dose of gold metallic enamel shapes  to create my illuminated letters and heat embossed the starburst from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set to give the illusion of bright lights shining in the background along with a strip of gold glimmer for extra sparkle. The layering and lettering detail made this card less than 'clean and simple', hence the reason why I decided not to use it as my Paper Players card.

I love this card though - just shows that sometimes inspiration can strike in the strangest places. What things inspire you? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

New 2017 Sale-A-Bration Free Products Added!

by Joanne James21. February 2017 01:00

 

I know how much you've all been enjoying the benefits of the Sale-A-Bration promotion; as if it couldn't get any better this is a quick early post today to let you know that there are some new items being added to the selection of products that can be earned free with a £45 order: there are two new stamp sets and some rather lovely glimmer paper. 

Like the other items in the Sale-A-Bration catalogue, these items will be available free with each £45 spend from now until the end of the Sale-A-Bration period, 31st March. You can see full details for each of the new product on the new Sale-A-Bration flyer here.

Back later with today's creative project; until then, happy shopping!

Sale-A-Bration Hey Chick Peek A Boo Card

by Joanne James19. February 2017 22:00

I know technically it's still Sunday, but this is Monday's post as I want to link up to the Stamp Ink Paper challenge which closes late this evening - so I'm early! Here's their colour palette this week:

      

I'm also linking up with CAS Colours and Sketches as I used their sketch for my card, SUO Challenges who are looking for projects featuring Sale-A-Bration sets and the ladies over at TGIF Challenges where they have a 'birds of a feather' theme that my chickens are perfect for! I thought it was about time I broke out the most popular of all this year's Sale-A-Bration free gifts this year  - take a look:

 

This is the outside of my card - read on for more details and a fun reveal inside! Here's the low-down on today's card:

Hey, Chick - What's better than a new stamp set? Well, it has to be a new FREE stamp set, right? The comical chicks in the 'Hey, Chick' stamp set are proving the runaway success of this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion and could be yours free too with a purchase of £45 or more. I cropped the two large, feathered birds top and bottom using my Stitched Shape Framelits looking up and down respectively on the little 'egg on legs' and coloured with my Stampin' Write markers.

Peek A Boo - There is another chicken that features in this set, perhaps my most favourite of all - the crazy-haired Polish Frizzle Bantam White. Where's mine? Well, take a look inside my card where all will be revealed:

 

 As the card is opened, the shutters pull back to reveal the funky chicken that I like to think hatched out of that egg - isn't that just the most fun? I like this card so much it's made the cut for my next Sale-A-Bration class - you can see details of my class listings here and I would love you to join me!

Playful Palette - Some Playful Palette designer series paper and some Bermuda Bay stitched satin ribbon complete my card.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'll be back on Tuesday with another project. Until then, enjoy the start to your week and happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Opposites Attract - Love You Lots Notelet

by Joanne James17. February 2017 20:32

Yay it's Friday! It has felt a little like the weekend here today as my hubby has had the day off today having been away all week so the four of us have spent the day doing fun family things - a little more on that on Sunday's post though! Today I'm sharing a little card that I made for this week's challenge over at Less Is More where the challenge is for a one layer card featuring opposites that also works for the current CASology challenge too:

    

I haven't managed to play along with the LIM ladies for a while but as they are celebrating their birthday this month I was determined to squeeze in an entry at some point. I toyed with 'rain and shine' but decided to allow the ideas percolate in the back of my mind as I went about my jobs this week and as I was flicking through my Stampin' Up! catalogue last night I was suddenly inspired - take a look:

 

Cute eh?! Here's the low-down on today's card:

Love You Lots - I happened across the hostess set 'Love You Lots' and realised it had the perfect pair of opposites with the massive elephant and the teeny tiny mouse. I decided they would be perfect for a little love note ready for one of my James Juniors next week. 

Another Way With Watercolour Pencils - I wanted to try something a little different in terms of technique on this card too: I stamped my pair and sentiment in Archival Grey ink and coloured them with my Basic Grey and Whisper White watercolour pencils and my aquapainter onto a Crumb Cake (kraft) cardstock notelet. The lovely Darnell Kraus of NBUS fame used this as an optional theme on one of her recent challenges (check out Darnell's creations and the wonderful gallery on her blog here) and it intrigued me; I decided today's card would be the perfect opportunity to try it out; I must say I really like the effect.

A quick heads up for any of you with Watercolour Pencils on your wish lists; they have been incredibly popular with demand outstripping supply. Current stocks are likely to last only another few weeks before ordering will be suspended temporarily in order for stock levels to be replenished, so if you want to get your hands on them in the short term order now; once current stock has run out, they are estimated to be re-orderable mid- to late April.

And Finally A Love Heart - I finished my card with a tiny Blushing Bride enamel heart to add just a pop of colour to my otherwise neutral card. I toyed with adding some Blushing Bride baker's twine but decided against it - after all, sometimes less is more!

A sweet notelet using minimal supplies and perfect to send a few words of love!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Carried Away Double Gate Fold Card

by Joanne James16. February 2017 07:00

I'm a little more organised today with a nice early post featuring another card that I made using the gorgeous balloon papers that can be yours free during Sale-A-Bration with an order of £45 or more:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Double Gate Fold Card - I used one of my favourite patterns in the Sale-A-Bration Carried Away Designer Series Paper pack for my double gate fold card today. This is such a fun card to showcase designer paper and with a base of 12" x 6", you can get two cards out of one sheet of designer series paper - bonus! Here's a peek at the inside panel too:

 

Up and Away Tiny Treat - I also dressed up one of Stampin' Up!'s Clear Tiny Treat Boxes with a 3D diecut hot air balloon and some of the Carried Away paper for a co-ordinating sweet treat - take a look: 

 

I love these boxes - they are so easy to dress up some sweets or a small gift. Great for a little Friday afternoon after-school treat or to make a fun addition to someone's birthday present.

Everyone Loves A Freebie - Would you like to get your hands on the Carried Away Designer Series Paper? If you buy all the other supplies I used on today's card, you'll earn enough to qualify for a free Sale-A-Bration item - like the Carried Away Designer Series Paper. Just click on the items in the table below to go directly to my online shop and add these items to your basket.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day - we have swimming and go karting in store. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Carried Away Up And Away Hot Air Balloon

by Joanne James15. February 2017 21:57

Wednesday evening already? Where did the beginning of this week go?! That's what having the James Juniors home from school on half term does for you! We have been having fun with more still to come this week. Time I got back to sharing a card or two with you though; here's one that I made in my Sale-A-Bration class earlier this month featuring a selection of the gorgeous balloon papers that can be yours free during Sale-A-Bration with an order of £45 or more:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Carried Away With Colour - I love designer series paper at the best of times, but I could get totally carried away with this one! The bright and colourful prints in the Carried Away designer series paper pack are just gorgeous; great for cards but they also make great scrapbook backgrounds too. Check out this gorgeous palette of colours to be found in the 6 designs in this paper pack:

 

Lift Me Up Too - We all know how Stampin' Up! does such a great job of product co-ordination in terms of inks, cardstock and accessories; there are also times when suites of products co-ordinate too. The Carried Away papers are designed to co-ordinate perfectly with the Lift Me Up Bundle in the Spring-Summer Occasions catalogue. The diecut and stamped balloons along with some useful sentiments in a great modern font, make it easy to pull together professional-looking cards. Here I left some of the diecut balloon open so that the papers below would peek through and used the stamp set for the sentiment and to decorate the envelope and inside of my card.

Everyone Loves A Freebie - Would you like to get your hands on the Carried Away Designer Series Paper? If you buy all the other supplies I used on today's card, you'll earn enough to qualify for a free Sale-A-Bration item - like the Carried Away Designer Series Paper. Just click on the items in the table below to go directly to my online shop and add these items to your basket.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project using these fabulous papers. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Adult Colouring With Inside The Lines

by Joanne James8. February 2017 11:47

I'm back at my desk this morning so I'm getting in a nice early post (well, early for me!) Today I'm sharing a couple of cards using one of the great free Sale-A-Bration items, the Inside The Lines Designer Series Paper:

Adult colouring is a hot trend: adult colouring books feature consistently in the Amazon top selling books list across all categories. Did you know though that there are proven health and psychological benefits to colouring? Colouring is a great stress-reliever: colouring is said to calm the amygdala, the part of the brain related to the fear/stress response while stimulating the parts of the brain responsible for creativity and logic. A 2005 study documented a reduction in anxiety in subjects after a short time of colouring geometric patterns. In addition to reducing stress, there is also evidence to suggest that even a short colouring session is good for sharpening focus and encouraging creativity, making it popular with high flying business and creative professionals alike. Colouring can also make a great alternative to meditation, the psychological benefits of which are well documented; the ability to 'do' something without the need for active concentration produces a similar benefit to meditation in the brain, so if you are someone who finds it it difficult to 'switch off' and calm your mind, colouring may help you find your 'inner peace'.

I am the proud owner of a 'mindfulness' adult colouring book and a page a day calendar (you can read about that in my previous post here) however being the crafty soul that I am, I'm always looking at how I can use my coloured images in a constructive way, rather than just leave them completed in my book. That's one of the reasons that the Inside The Lines paper appeals to me: with 12 sheets each measuring 12" x 12", 3 each of 4 designs, they are great for making into cards or home decor projects once your colouring is complete. Here's the first of my cards, coloured with Stampin' Up!'s new watercolour pencils and my aquapainter, adhered to a Rich Razzleberry card base and a simple sentiment banner featuring one of my go-to sentiment sets, Tin of Cards:

 

The paper is pretty enough though to stand up in its own right; this CASE of a card by Louise Sharp (you can see her original card here) leaves the main panel of the paper blank, with just a small area of the pattern coloured and cut out and used to embellish the sentiment panel:

 

Here are some additional samples created by the Home Office Creative Team that show just some of the ways that this paper can be transformed with colour:

 

As if that wasn't enough, the lovely people at Stampin' Up! have even created a video demonstrating some fun techniques that can be used with this paper - take a look:

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

If you like adult colouring or just want to rediscover your 'inner child', then all you have to do is place an order for £45 or more and you can receive the Inside The Lines paper for FREE! If you are ordering online, simply add the item code (143830) to your shopping basket once you've added your other items and it will add it free of charge. If you are ordering online (it's easy to do: just click on the shopping basket link in the 'Shop Online' basket on the right of this page, or alternatively click on any of the product links in the supply table below) don't forget to add this month's hostess code 4X3KWTZY in order to receive an extra little thank you in the post separately from me. 

So what are you going to create with Inside The Lines? Do let me know in the comments below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

So Very Much Shadow Technique Thank You Card

by Joanne James4. February 2017 17:00

My cold has really got the better of me these last couple of days, hence the absence of blog posts. Back with it today though; I have a quick share of another card made with a free Sale-A-Bration set that also uses a fun and easy technique - take a look:

 

Here's the low-down on today's card:

A Shadow Thank You - I stamped the large thank you stamp from the 'So Very Much' in Blushing Bride then moved it very slightly up and to the left and stamped again in Sweet Sugarplum. A simple technique but effective, don't you agree? The thing that I really like about this stamp set - apart from the fact that it's FREE of course! - is the alternative option stamps to complete the thank you sentiment. The 'from all of us' in particular is an unusual stamp that you don't see very often.

A Teeny Tiny Gift - I decided I would add a little symbol of a gift next to the second part of my sentiment - this is taken from another Sale-A-Bration set, Any Occasion. This set is predominantly a collection of banners that work really well on pocket notelet-sized cards, but includes a few teeny tiny embellishments - the present, two hearts and a tassel - that work really well on lots of projects.

A Playful Palette - My strip of border paper is from the Playful Palette designer series paper stack and was the inspiration for my entire colour scheme. This card design would be a great way to use up odd strips of paper left over from other projects though and would work in lots of different colourways.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with this week's project for the new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Two Ways With Avant Garden - Yours Free During Sale-A-Bration

by Joanne James2. February 2017 14:00

I've had a couple of blog-free days on account of having to juggle a few things around as I have one of my Juniors at home poorly this week. I think they may have given it to me too, but that's a story for another day! To make it up to you I'm sharing not one but two cards today, both using the most popular of the Sale-A-Bration free stamp sets. Here's the first one, a CASE of the card shown on page 5 of the Sale-A-Bration catalogue:

 

Here's the low-down on the above card:

Botanical Flower - The Avant Garden stamp set contains two very different flower stamps: the flower stem on the above card is a fine line drawing, almost like the ones you find in botanical plant identification books. Here it is simply coloured with a blender pen and my Daffodil Delight and Old Olive watercolour pencils, then fussy cut using my trusty paper snips. The second flower is a much more fluid, almost watercolour effect bloom - this is the one you can see on the card below, which is a CASE of the card on page 4 of the Sale-A-Bration catalogue, with the layout of the banner horizontal instead of diagonal and an alternative colourway. 

Easy Woodgrain - Do you recognise the background on this card? The ladies in my recent Sale-A-Bration class were keen to understand how I had created this background so full of texture; they were very surprised when I pointed out that it was actually one of the patterns in the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper stack. This pad is choc-full of great patterns and designs, that make light work out of creating interesting backgrounds. So easy, it almost feels like cheating!

Texture Abounds - Whilst the paper adds texture in the pattern, this card has a lovely collage feel with all the other elements of added texture: a woodgrain embossed circle, a strip of burlap ribbon and piece of lace trim, along with a snippet of doily, some linen thread and a sprinkling of pearls. 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Here's the second card using the same stamp set but with a completely different feel:

 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

It's no wonder Avant Garden is so popular: lots of creative ways with florals, not forgetting a useful trio of sentiments that work on lots of different types of card. Lots of my customers have already ordered this set; if you're not one of them but it appeals to you, then all you have to do is place an order for £45 or more and you can receive it for FREE! If you are ordering online, simply add the item code (143272) to your shopping basket once you've added your other items and it will add it free of charge. If you are ordering online (it's easy to do: just click on the shopping basket link in the 'Shop Online' basket on the right of this page, or alternatively click on any of the product links in the supply table below) don't forget to add this month's hostess code 4X3KWTZY in order to receive an extra little thank you in the post separately from me. 

So which one of these cards do you prefer? Do let me know in the comments below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Hey Chick, Happy Chinese New Year 2017

by Joanne James27. January 2017 11:12

Happy Friday everyone! Tomorrow is officially the start of the Chinese New Year, so whilst celebrations traditionally begin the day before with New Year's Eve I thought today would be a good day to share the Chinese New Year card I made for one of my husband's colleagues. I've made cards for this celebration previously and it can sometimes be a challenge as I don't have many oriental stamps or images,  but this year one of the Sale-A-Bration sets gave me the perfect focal point  - take a look:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Hey Chick, It's A Rooster - Each year in the Chinese calendar also follows the Chinese zodiac and is represented by a different animal: 2017 is the year of the (fire) rooster. I thought the fabulous large chicken, with its exaggerated features from the 'Hey Chick' Sale-A-Bration stamp set (yours free with a purchase of £45 or more) would pass as a rooster for the purposes of my card - isn't he grand?

Oriental Colour Combination - Red and gold is a popular colour combination in Chinese culture as it is seen to represent good luck and prosperity and the colour red in particular is said to ward away evil. A Chinese New Year tradition is the giving of red envelopes containing money, called lai see, usually from parents to children, or bosses to employees and is said to bring good wishes and luck, and it is the giving of the red envelope, rather than the money it contains, that is the most significant.

Happy New Year - Lastly, are you wondering which set my gold 'happy new year' stamp came from? I actually imported the Chinese characters into my Silhouette Cameo E-Cutter, but instead of cutting them out used a gold pen to write them onto my piece of red card and them filled in the outline with a gold marker. I'm not sure my lettering skills would have enabled such a faithful reproduction!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

There are some really fun stamps in this set; I've lots of projects that feature them in a slightly more traditional away to share during the coming weeks, so stay tuned if they're your thing.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

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About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.